James Hillier races for the RAF

Superbiking star James Hillier wore a specially designed racing helmet during the Isle of Man TT event this year, as he powered to fifth place.

The new helmet features the 'Heart Roundel' logo of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund (RAFBF), the RAF's leading welfare charity, and was worn as part of an initiative by Bournemouth Kawasaki and Odiham Motorcyle Club to show support for Royal Air Force heroes past and present.

James Hillier said: "I'm really pleased with this eye-catching new helmet design. Hopefully by wearing it while I raced at the Isle of Man TT we helped to raise awareness about the great work the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund does supporting RAF families. I’d encourage motorsport fans to step up by volunteering for the charity or digging in their pockets, as the RAF is being worked pretty hard at the moment and they need all the support we can give them."

Paul Hewson, Regional Director for the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: "We were incredibly proud to see James race in our branded helmet.

"Our thanks go out to Bournemouth Kawasaki for this magnificent opportunity to bring our message to the Superbike fans at the Isle of Man TT, who we know have huge enthusiasm for the work our armed forces do each day.

"The RAF Benevolent Fund spends over £20 million supporting serving and former RAF personnel each year, so we need all the support we can get in these tough times."

Ben Smith, from the Odiham Motorcycle Club, said: "As a motorcycle club attached to an RAF base, we are all too aware of what great work the RAFBF do and we want to help raise the charity’s profile any way we can.

"By creating the helmet I hope it did just that by appealing to the motorcycling world and helping to raise much needed funds and awareness for the RAFBF."